Romney trades in Ford Mustang in N.H.

When Al Gore lost the presidency in 2000 he grew a beard. Mitt Romney, it appears, traded-in his red Ford Mustang convertible for a 15-passenger van.

Last week Romney showed up without an appointment to Granite Ford in Rochester on his way to his house in Wolfeboro. Romney drove the sporty 2005 Mustang that was a gift from his wife the year it came out. He met with Kevin Donovan at Granite Ford and they worked out a deal to order him the van and to accept the trade-in. A Romney aide confirmed that he sold the Mustang.

There weren't any ads for to "buy Romney's Mustang," soon afterward. Donovan sold the car to a buddy of his within hours.

"He didn't make a big deal of it, so I don't want to make a big deal of it," he said.

The Romney aide didn't say how Romney planned to use the van. The Romneys usually stay in Wolfeboro for the July 4th holiday.